Congratulations to the CODE_n13 Winners!

After months of deliberation, we are proud to announce the winners of the second annual CODE_n contest! Changers.com won first place in the Startup category, and GREENCLOUDS took first place in the Emerging Company category; each received prize money amounting to €15,000.

Although the two company serve different customers, their commitment to cleantech solutions is clear. Changers, based in Berlin, has developed portable solar-powered chargers for smartphones and tablets. The chargers measure the amount of CO2 that has been saved and convert it to “Changers Credits,” which are posted to the online community and can be exchanged for sustainable products and services. The Netherlands’ GREENCLOUDS has developed a technology platform that makes idle resources in data processing centers to others, which allows companies to create a new source of income while reducing the data centers’ carbon footprints.

CODE_n13 Award Show

The contest was highly competitive from the beginning: of the 250 companies from 35 countries that entered, just 50 finalists were invited to exhibit at the CODE_n hall at CeBIT. “We found selecting the winners was a very difficult task,” stated Ulrich Dietz, CEO of GFT and initiator of CODE_n. “Many of the finalists caught our attention with their exceptional business models addressing the energy transition.”

In addition, carzapp and Codeatelier were recognized with special prizes sponsored by the international automotive supplier, Continental, the newest partner to CODE_n. carzapp, based in Berlin, operates a private carsharing platform through which anyone can make their car available for rental, while Burgstetten-based Codeatelier has developed Homee, an app that allows users to control a variety of devices in their home. The companies will share a show booth with Continental at the international automobile show IAA in Frankfurt, as well as receive mentoring from experienced innovators.

Changers and carzapp are continuing their winning streak this week with additional awards: just yesterday, these two companies won a special crowdfunding prize at CODE_n. From now until May 5, private investors with a bank account in Germany can visit seedmatch.de to buy shares in the companies starting at €250. In total, both companies have a chance to earn up to €250,000 in venture capital.

If you’re at CeBIT, we encourage you to stop by our both and congratulate the winners and the other finalists; they’ll be at Hall 16 until Saturday. Congratulations once again to all who participated!

To read the associated CODE_n press release please click here.